WorldSBK: Michael Ruben Rinaldi joins Motocorsa Ducati

Michael Ruben Rinaldi will switch teams next season as he joins Motocorsa Ducati.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi will have new surroundings next season, joining the experienced satellite team. Rinaldi will stick with Ducati next season after spending three years riding for the factory squad.

He will race in a single-bike team, replacing fellow Italian Axel Bassani who will move to the factory Kawasaki team.

Nicolo Bulega will replace Michael Ruben Rinaldi at the factory team, with the rookie making his debut in the WorldSBK class. Bulega won the 2023 WorldSSP Championship riding the new Aruba.it Ducati V2.

Michael Ruben Rinaldi has spent his entire WorldSBK career racing for the Italian manufacturer. His first season came in 2018, racing in a European-only season for the Aruba.it Racing – Junior Team. His best result of the 2018 season came in Brno – finishing sixth.

In 2019 the Italian joined the BARNI Racing Team, and this year would compete in every round of the season. He finished 13^th in the Championship, finishing ahead of Markus Reiterberger. The best finish of his 2019 campaign came in the final race at Jerez – finishing fourth.

For the 2020 season, he would switch teams once again, joining Team GoEleven for another full season. At Aragon, Rinaldi would win his first WorldSBK race and a further two podiums, impressive everyone in the paddock.

Rinaldi received his dream offer in 2021, signing to race for the factory Aruba.it Racing Ducati squad. He would remain with the team for a further three seasons, claiming five race wins in the process. His best season came in 2022, ending the season fourth in the standings after a consistent year.

Rinaldi said: “2024 starts today! A new team, new people and one great goal… this is why Motocorsa is the right choice. It would be complex and undoubtedly reductive to explain in so few lines all the reasons why Motocorsa and I chose each other and together decided to undertake this great challenge for the 2024 season.

“I would therefore like to use just two words: PASSION and AMBITION. Keywords that were, from the first meeting with Lorenzo Mauri, the essence of a clear message that he wanted to convey to me, wanting me to be at the centre of a solid and competitive project to stay and aim, with a free mind, even higher.

“A vision that matches perfectly with what I am looking for… a team that has the same passion as me for this sport, the ambition, the desire, and the spirit of sacrifice that are needed to achieve great results. For this reason, I am very happy, and I can’t wait to start working with the team to create an excellent base on a technical level and a positive environment within the garage that can be productive and stimulating.

“I want to thank Lorenzo Mauri and Team Motocorsa, Vittorino Mesaroli and Mesaroli Spa, Ducati and all the sponsors who made this project possible.”

Image credit: worldsbk.com